1. Field
The present invention relates generally to data communication, and more specifically to techniques for implementing multi-media broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) in a wireless communication system.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication such as voice, data, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication for multiple users and may be based on code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or some other multiple access techniques. CDMA systems may provide certain advantages over other types of system, including increased system capacity.
A wireless communication system may be designed to provide various types of services. These services may include point-to-point services, or dedicated services such as voice and packet data, whereby data is transmitted from a transmission source (e.g., a base station) to a specific recipient terminal. These services may also include point-to-multipoint services, or broadcast services such as news, whereby data is transmitted from a transmission source to a number of recipient terminals.
The characteristics and requirements for broadcast services are very different in many aspects from those for dedicated services. For example, dedicated resources (e.g., physical channels) may be required to be allocated to individual terminals for dedicated services. In contrast, common resources may be allocated and used for all terminals expected to receive the broadcast services. Moreover, the transmission for a broadcast service would need to be controlled such that a large number of terminals are able to reliably receive the service, while minimizing the amount resources required to implement the service.
There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to implement MBMS services, which comprise broadcast and multicast services, in a wireless communication system.